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The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Hints
Search for information about the dragons returning.
1 of 11: Go through the door near the equipment chest and close it behind you, then crouch down and sneak past the open door on the left while staying on the right side of the hallway.
2 of 11: Enter the hallway's other open room and look near the doorway for three articles of Thalmor wizard clothing that you can take and wear as a disguise. The guards will still attack you if you get close to them, but it may help a bit in sneaking around.
3 of 11: Sneak back to the open door with the guards just past it, and stop in a spot where you can see part of the nearest guard. When they're done talking, they'll walk away from the counter they're at, and you'll have a chance to sneak around the counter and up the stairs unseen.
4 of 11: If you fight the guards instead of sneaking past them, the wizard who's upstairs will come down and join the battle. Otherwise, you'll have to sneak by him (or kill him with a powerful sneak attack) once you get up there.
5 of 11: Check the upstairs rooms for loot if you want, then use the door that takes you to a small outdoor area. It also has several guards, which will make it very hard to sneak over to the door to the Elenwen's Solar area. If you're the stealthy type, you may want to use sneak attacks to eliminate the guards. (Or an Invisibility potion to skip combat.)
6 of 11: When you enter the solar, you'll see a guard across the room from you with her back turned. If you can't sneak around without her hearing you, you'd better hit her with a sneaky arrow, then get ready to fight her and two other guys who will come running (one of whom is a mage).
7 of 11: Go through the doorway in the NW corner of the entry room to find an office. Search the chest behind the desk to find a document called "Dragon Investigation: Current Status."
8 of 11: Take it and read it in the books section of your inventory, then go down the stairs at the other end of the office to find a door that leads to the dungeon.
9 of 11: In the dungeon, sneak around to the top of some stairs, then sneak down them and take cover to the right of the doorway. Enter third-person mode so you can rotate your view around and see the patrolling guard without having to be in the doorway.
10 of 11: You could sneak around without the guard seeing you, but it's much more convenient to kill her. After you do, there are two ways to get the second bit of information that you need.
11 of 11: One is to get the "Thalmor Dossier: Esbern" from the chest that's in the area to the right of the prison cells, and the other is to talk to the guy who's chained up in the nearest prison cell. Either way, you'll get the next objective.
